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STRATHAM — Love is in the air at the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after a flock of 60 lovebirds was surrendered by their owner.

Some 52 lovebirds arrived at the Stratham shelter last Friday, but another eight were since found at the woman’s house and have been added to the flock.

The parrots known for their affection appear to be healthy, but must still be checked out by a veterinarian before they’re able to be adopted out to new homes, said Sheila Ryan, director of development and marketing for the SPCA in Stratham.

Before arriving at the shelter, the lovebirds were living with a woman on the Seacoast who had become overwhelmed.

“She had some health issues of her own, and I think that contributed to her inability to stop the breeding, and so there just got to be too many of them. She did the right thing and called for help,” Ryan said.

While the owner had fed and cared for them, the lovebirds aren’t used to being held and some are young and have never been handled, Ryan said.

The surrendered flock is the largest the SPCA has seen in recent memory and has posed some challenges.

“We have these 60 birds that we have to figure out how to take care of and get vetted and checked out,” Ryan said.

The SPCA will have enough cages after a group known as the Parrot Posse agreed to donate cages for each pair of lovebirds.

Ryan said the shelter could always use more bird toys

“They chew through them pretty quickly,” she said.

At the moment, the lovebirds have been scattered around the shelter. Ryan has four in her office while some have been placed in other offices. One holding station has as many as 42, but they will be split up once the donated cages arrive.

The shelter workers are doing their best to keep the lovebirds happy.

“The birds bond with one another, and we’re trying to figure out if any of them had bonded with other ones, and we’re trying to find their friends,” Ryan said.

The lovebirds must still be checked out by a veterinarian, which will be costly given the number in the flock, Ryan said.

Ryan said the shelter is accepting donations to help provide medical care.

Anyone interested can donate by visiting the shelter’s website, www.nhspca.org, and making a contribution with a notation indicating that the money is to be used for the lovebirds.

Monetary donations, also containing a notation about the lovebirds, can be mailed to the New Hampshire SPCA, P.O. Box 196, Stratham, 03885.

Anyone interested in adopting lovebirds should download an adoption application from the shelter’s website.

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